Associated Students Election Forum at SMC
As the official election for Santa Monica College’s (SMC) 2024-2025 Associated Student positions nears, a last-minute forum hosted by the SMC Corsair took place on March 28 at 11:15 a.m. The forum was conducted by The Corsair’s Editor-in-Chief, Cebelihle Hlatshwayo.
The forum was public and open to students and faculty, but there was a sparse turnout. However, the forum was recorded and is available to view on The Corsair’s YouTube channel.
According to the official A.S. Elections site, of the 18 available positions, 11 have candidates running for election, while the remaining seven roles are to be filled after the elections.
A total of 17 candidates are running for election, many of them unopposed. The positions with the opposition are the following: A.S. Director of Activities, A.S. Director of Equity, and
Diversity, A.S. Director of Sustainability, and Student Trustee. This is where SMC student votes will matter most.
The following students are running unopposed: David Duncan for A.S. President, Tiffany Lee for A.S. Secretary, Louisiane Tarden for A.S. Director of Outreach, Semia Beji for A.S. Director of External Affairs, Gabriel Hernandez-Perez for A.S. Director of Publicity, Eduardo Guzman and Jinxi Zhang for two of the five positions for A.S. Judicial Board Members.
Both Judicial Board Member candidates, Beji and Tarden, did not appear at the forum. Zhang, however, sent a written statement. Hlatshwayo read Zhang's statement in which she said, “I am committed to approaching each issue with empathy, fairness, and an unwavering commitment to integrity.”
Running for Director of Activities are Andrea Giraldo, Andre Villavicencio, and Javier Rodriguez.
Giraldo, originally from Columbia, is focused on creating an environment that promotes community and equity.
“I believe, also, that we are predisposed to draw an invisible line between people who have different cultures than us,” said Giraldo, “and I feel like SMC should be the place where we’re comfortable enough to erase those lines.”
Villavicencio wants to use the position as Director of Activities to unite students through extra-curriculars. He said that one of the most important values of community colleges is their unique cultures, and he would like to promote more of that at SMC.
While the other two candidates answered their questions with more length and specificity, Rodriguez was brief. Although short, he said that the A.S. should make sure SMC events uphold the college's values to prioritize where funds go.
Nora Ibrahim, who did not attend the forum, and Valeria Salgado are the candidates for Director of Equity and Diversity.
Salgado is motivated by the help she had in high school with her disabilities to make each student’s voice heard. She said that compared to SMC’s Black and Latinx communities, the AAPI and Middle Eastern communities do not get as much traction. “We should support them in making their own communities as strong,” Salgado said.
The candidates for Director of Sustainability are Julia Kowalski and Tumuulen Tsedenish.
Both candidates were asked about their strategies to implement their ideas. Kowalski was very adamant about researching and campaigning for the board. “You really just gotta be vocal and don’t think small,” said Kowalski.
Tsedenish, on the other hand, was more focused on student involvement. He said, “I think this is mainly about activism and students speaking up for the better.”
Of the three candidates in the running for Student Trustee, Esmeralda Hernandez, Francis Yang, and Zoë Muntaner. Yang was the only candidate who did not show.
Hernandez is a first-generation student who wants to use her role to make sure students feel as though attending community college is a privilege. She said, “Not only is community college an affordable and effective way for students who are not able to afford college, but it’s an opportunity.”
Muntaner, originally from Puerto Rico, has run for Santa Monica City Council twice and has established connections with many members. In 2013, she got the Santa Monica City Board to sign the Charter for Compassion, and she would like to use her position to get the SMC Board to sign it as well.
Muntaner would also like to advocate for non-traditional students, as she is one herself. In addition to non-traditional students, she wants to create space for disabled, neurodiverse, and queer students.
Although the candidates vary in their approaches to their roles, each candidate used their time to advocate for the importance of diversity. How they uphold these approaches in office will be revealed after the elections starting in the 2024-2025 academic year.
The elections will be held virtually between April 1 and 4 and are available to students via Corsair Connect. To access the official ballot through Corsair Connect, students must look under "Resources and Services." Then, scroll to the very bottom and select the drop-down for "A.S. Student Elections." Do not forget to vote, as these candidates will be the voice for students at SMC.
